88 | Recycling in Africa Woolworths’ semi-rigid PET thermoformed packaging can now be recycled in South Africaconsultancy, Smollan has co-created the Smartfll dispenser to “We’ve increasingly focused on meet this challenge. The smart dispensers have been proven in the spaza market, not sustainability and how we can only enhancing sales by offering small pack sizes but also providing valuable data on quantities purchased. support our customers. Smartfll A spaza is an informal convenience shop, selling small everyday household items, usually run from home to supplement household helps brand owners to transition incomes. These shops grew as a result of sprawling townships to more environmentally-conscious established during the apartheid era – that made travel to formal shopping areas increasingly diffcult or expensive.packaging options, while still By offering smaller purchase volumes, which can’t be manufactured affordably on an industrial scale, brand owners can growing their businesses”tap into new customers/markets. According to Marc Wetselaar, COO of DY/DX Digital, thanks to meeting consumers’ needs for smaller pack sizes, especially in the Smartfll installations, sales in Thembisa, a township to the north face of the ever-increasing cost of living. of Johannesburg, jumped by some 400 percent monthly and the Against this scenario, a potentially lucrative opportunity exists number of purchasing transactions by 450 percent.to provide low-cost dispensing systems, simultaneously addressing ‘People gravitated to the dispensers and easily understood the both sales growth and packaging reduction challenges. concept,’ he explains.From single cigarettes to small bags of sugar, coffee and sweets, However, while technology is a key ingredient, it’s merely part of informal retailers fnd ways to break apart manufacturers’ packs to the solution.meet consumer needs. Adds Michael Smollan, the group’s chief growth offcer: ‘We’ve For instance, throughout Africa, commodities such as paraffn and increasingly focused on sustainability and how we can support cooking oil are sold in used soft drink bottles. our customers. Smartfll helps brand owners to transition to more However, small pack sizes or sachets offer little value to waste environmentally-conscious packaging options, while still growing pickers (collectors), even if recyclable, and the endemic absence of their businesses.’municipal services in these communities means much rubbish ends As brand owners look for continued sales growth while trying to up in the environment. solve packaging waste challenges, an answer may just lie within the Global retail specialist, Smollan, representing some of the world’s informal trade.best-known FMCG and commercial brands, promotes responsible retailing activities in sub-Saharan Africa where business can have a positive effect on the environment and society – effortlessly To read more about the recycling infrastructure in Africa, read and effciently.Gill Loubser’s article in Issue 3 of Labels & Labeling.In conjunction with DY/DX Digital, a global product design CleanFlake technology means there’s no need to stock separate labels for recyclable packages. This facilitates the recycling of PET and HDPE packs to help brands meet sustainability targets, comply with regulations, and increase the availability of recyclateSmartfll dispensers are popular throughout South Africa as a way to reduce packaginglabelsandlabeling.com